CSA 501/551 “Introduction to Project BudBurst for Educators”
Provides an overview to support implementation of Project BudBurst in a variety of educational venues. CSA 501 is geared for Formal (K-12) and community college educators. CSA 551 is intended for Informal Educators.

CSA 502 “Working with Project BudBurst Data in an Informal/Formal Education Setting”
The follow-up course in which educators learn how to use the new National Geographic Field Scope tools to visualize and analyze Project BudBurst data through a user-friendly, web-based interface. It will also cover plant adaptations to a changing climate, and links between Project BudBurst data and other broadscale data sets. This course is offered in one section that considers both formal and informal educational objectives.

For those interested in teacher re-certification, all of our courses can be taken for 2 optional, graduate level continuing education credits from Colorado School of Mines. The fee for 2 optional credits is $90.

Hydrilla Hunt! program solicits help of lake and river enthusiasts to discover invasive aquatic plant.

GLENCOE, Ill. (June 17, 2013) – Boaters, anglers, swimmers, and others who enjoy Illinois’ lakes and rivers are keeping their eyes peeled this summer for an aquatic “superweed.” Through the Hydrilla Hunt! program, citizen volunteers are on the lookout for a highly invasive aquatic plant named Hydrilla verticillata, or simply “hydrilla.”

Recognized as one of the world’s worst weeds, hydrilla can grow an inch per day and form dense mats of vegetation at the water surface. Within the past few years, hydrilla has been discovered in Wisconsin and Indiana and it is expected to arrive in Illinois very soon. Our desirable native aquatic plants, sport fishing, native wildlife, waterfront property values, and recreational uses might all be seriously impacted.

“Early detection of hydrilla could save Illinois millions of dollars in control costs,” noted Cathy McGlynn, coordinator for the Northeast Illinois Invasive Plant Partnership (NIIPP). “Experience from other states shows that once a waterway becomes infested with hydrilla, it’s nearly impossible to control. Our hope in Illinois is to identify the plant at a very early stage when populations are still small enough to eradicate and manage,” added McGlynn.

The strain of hydrilla that has been found in the northern United States is believed to have originated in Korea. It grows on mucky as well as sandy bottoms of lakes and rivers, and from very shallow water to depths of 20 feet or more. It can be spotted snagged on fishing lines or on boat anchors, or by noting plants seen while boating or growing along the sides of a pier. Hydrilla spreads quickly, since just a small stem fragment of hydrilla can sprout roots and grow into a whole new plant.

Anyone can participate in the Hydrilla Hunt! program. Volunteers are encouraged to take a more detailed look at aquatic plants they encounter while out and about on Illinois’ waterways. A Hydrilla Identification Sheet (available for download at the program’s website, see below) can be used to differentiate hydrilla from look-alike plants such as Brazilian elodea and American elodea. Volunteers who suspect they may have found hydrilla are asked to take several digital photographs and email them to the Hydrilla Hunt! program for verification.

For more information, including how to become a Hydrilla Hunt! volunteer, a Hydrilla Identification Sheet, fact sheets, and other resources, visit www.niipp.net/hydrilla. The Hydrilla Hunt! program is coordinated by the Northeast Illinois Invasive Plant Partnership, the Chicago Botanic Garden, and the Lake County Health Department-Lakes Management Unit. Funding support has been provided by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources through the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant.

CHIP-N (the Central Hardwoods Invasive Plant Network) is a partnership between the Appalachian Ohio Weed Control Partnership, River to River Cooperative Weed Management Area, and Southern Indiana Cooperative Invasive Management. CHIP-N and the Ohio River Basin Fish Habitat Partnership are working together to coordinate the volunteer mapping of purple loosestrife in the Ohio River Basin. This data will help local and regional managers determine the best management strategies and identify possible biocontrol release points. Purple loosestrife is very easy to identify from July-September and would take minimal effort to report it while conducting other activities (water sampling, surveying, canoeing, hiking, etc). If you are interested in participating, please contact Eric Boyda (appalachianohioweeds@gmail.com, 740-534-6578) and he will forward you on more information about what data to collect and how to easily identify purple loosestrife.

This is a great opportunity for organizations to get volunteers interested in reporting and mapping invasive species…

A recording of last week’s webinar entitled, “Introduction to Cooperative Weed Management Areas: What Are They and What Can They Do For You?” is now available on the Invasive Platn Control, Inc. website (www.invasiveplantcontrol.com). Click on “ipcwebsolutions” and then “ipcoutreach” to access the recording.

Today, we are happy to add a case study for the use of escort on sericea lespedeza with very high effectiveness one year after treatment. Go to http://mipncontroldatabase.wisc.edu/.

After you see what kind of information people are posting please add your own experience with whatever species you have been working with. Tell everyone about what techniques and treatments are really working for you or tell us about what isn’t working for you so that we don’t waste time and money attempting the same technique.

The Great Lakes Early Detection Network (GLEDN) in collaboration with the Early Detection Distribution and Mapping System (EDDMapS) has developed a smartphone app for the iPhone and Android operating systems. This app allows users to report invasive species found in the Midwest to GLEDN and EDDMapS from their phones or tablets.

The app uses the device’s GPS and camera capabilities to geo-locate the reported species and allow the device’s operator to provide a photo of the reported species. Pictures allow verifiers to quickly confirm observations. Once confirmed, observations will be visible on maps found on GLEDN (www.gledn.org ) and EDDMaps (www.eddmaps.org ) websites and sent to land managers through each group’s early alert system. Using this technology we hope to enhance the ability of groups’ to respond to these new pests as they are emerging.

Join others in contributing to a growing regional database of invasive species locations. Your contributions help agency staff, scientists, and policy makers in efforts to curb the threat from invasive species and help raise public awareness.

GLEDN is an online database that allows users to enter invasive species reports without requiring a log-in. All reports entered into GLEDN are verified by experts. The database offers more tools for those who choose to create a log-in, including new invasive location alerts, mapping, and data downloading. Visit the site at http://www.gledn.org.

Funding for the development of this app was provided by the Ohio State University and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Citizen Science Monitoring program.